Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (unbridged)

Rating:
Summary: Charming
Review: I originally bought this book in 1997. I was having a tough time with life then and couldn't get through the first 3 chapters. Then, in the fall of 2001, I picked it up again...and couldn't put it down.

In the same work, Berendt was able to show the corrupt underside of Savannah without sacrificing its undeniable charm. Odd that the 2 should co-exist so easily in a city.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting plot, even better characters
Review: I read this for school my junior year in high school, where we were assigned to pick a book of either poetry, short stories, or a biography. My teacher was reluctant to allow me to read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" because of some of the themes (transsexualism, for instance), but I really enjoyed the novel. It may not be appropriate for some students my age, but for someone with a somewhat high maturity level, I find nothing wrong with letting him or her read this.

The novel has a much more interesting plot than I expected from a work of nonfiction. It follows a northern reporter (the narrator and author) as he learns about Savannah and its eclectic population, first on an assignment, and before long out of his own curiosity and enjoyment. He becomes friends with one of the prominent citizens of the city, Jim Williams, as well as many other eccentric characters. When Jim is accused murder, John gets a firsthand perspective of the trial and scandal associated with the case. The characters and events never cease to draw the reader in, as there is always something interesting going on, be it a voodoo ritual or the threat of poisoning the entire city's water supply with a single jar of powder.

The fact that this is a true story makes it much more riveting, although it would be a wonderful novel anyway. I recommend seeing the movie (AFTER reading the book)--the fact that the Lady Chablis plays herself made this especially interesting.

Despite a few more "mature" themes, I think that this is a wonderful book and highly recommend it to anyone not easily offended (...)

Rating:
Summary: This could only happen in Savannah...
Review: What do a crooked party-animal lawyer, an African American drag queen, a wealthy homosexual antiques dealer, a piano player who knows 6000 songs, a Voodoo queen, and the Georgia bulldog mascot have in common? They are all characters in John Berendt's record setting bestseller, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Never has a work of nonfiction been so informative and so much fun. Not only are the characters eccentric, but the entire city of Savannah fits that description as well. This beautiful, antebellum hothouse of the Old South is more a state of mind than a destination. Savannahian's revere their history, worship their ancestors, are very status and race conscious, and love to party.

Berendt spent eight years in Savannah and the first part of this book is more of a travelogue-introducing us to the history of Savannah and the quirky characters that will play a big part in the story later on. I especially liked Berendt's comparisons of Savannah to her sister city, Charleston.

The bulk of Midnight deals with a murder "mystery." Jim Williams (the antique dealer) lives in the stunning Mercer Mansion, and kills an employee in the house. But was it murder or self-defense? How the story unfolds is as fascinating as it is entertaining. Midnight is definitely something that could only happen in Savannah.

Midnight is a huge book, and it has had a major impact on this small city. At first, many Savannahian's were aghast at "The Book" and especially, the way it portrayed their eccentricities. But many residents came around as tourism skyrocketed (and increase of over 46%) as readers flocked to Savannah. The Midnight Phenomenon has been a boon to the economy, and there are now tours, lectures, slide shows and even a gift shop based on The Book. Even the Bird Girl statue that graces the cover had to be moved to the museum for safekeeping.

I fell in love with Midnight when I first read it a number of years ago. My husband and I also listened to the unabridged book on a long drive to Savannah, which made it even more enjoyable. The movie version is an extremely poor and not very authentic adaptation of the book. But if you want to see shots of Savannah (especially the Mercer Mansion) or the real Lady Chablis (the drag queen who plays herself), it might be worth a look. Otherwise, stick to Berendt's wonderfully written book. Or at least, read the book first.


Rating:
Summary: A mah-velous read, indeed.
Review: A few friends and I took a drive down to Savannah two years ago. It was a quaint little city with delicate Victorian homes and Spanish moss hanging from tree limbs over each street. The squares at each intersection had gardens which I found odd. Going souvenir shopping, many stores had the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". Not being from the South, I never knew what the book was about, but this trip had perked my eyes to the novel.

The writing style of Berendt is remarkable in it's balance of putting you in the Victorian homes, having you walk those squares, and inviting you to the parties of Savannah's elite.

Berendt's deliverance of subtlety and character texture is one of the finest elements in the novel. Each idiosyncracy and quirk of character leaves the reader wanting to know more. For example, one character has a bottle of deadly poison. Berendt only gives a taste, tells you all you need to know then drops you off, leaving only you and your imagination with that person.

This book has more charm and style than most books I've read. The charm has everything to do with the "old" and "new" money of Savannah, each extravagence presented in a "this kind of stuff happens every day" tone.

The Lady Chablis and Jim William's belief in Minerva are two of my favorite aspects of the novel.

Rating:
Summary: A legend is born.
Review: Truly one of the great true crime books of the last decade (or two). John Berendt has fashioned a wicked and mischievious book out of the sorded events surrounding the death of Danny Hansford at the hands of Jim Williams. Multi-layered and full of wonderfully eccentric characters, "Midnight in the Graden..." is that rare hybrid of literature and pulp. I only know one person who has read this book and didn't rave about it (which makes me wonder what else is wrong with him!). *One caveat: don't see the movie - or rather, don't NOT read the book because you saw the movie - as it is one of the worst adaptations of all-time. Just read the book.

Rating:
Summary: ECCENTRIC WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT
Review: i have just completed reading the book for the second time and it is even better the second time around. if the reader did not know this was a true story the book could easily be passed off as a fiction story. the people of savannah are so unusually cool that you cant help but fall in love with them. for example who would have thought that there would actually be a man that ties bugs to his clothes because he likes them. i love the fact that there was a great number of people that go everywhere with guns and like to show them off to each other at parties. the most famous character to come out of the novel is the lady chablis. she is one of the funniest and up front people i have ever seen or read about. she even wrote her own story called hiding my candy that is also very funny and telling. the main story revolves around the three murder trials involving jim williams. there is a lot of drama in trying to get the man acqitted over the course of three trials. there is everything from petty dislikes to scientific evidence, and voodoo involved in the prosecution and defense of the case. the story travels the spectrum of high level literature. there are so many things to talk about in the book, but the only way to do them justice is to read the book and find out for yourself. you get to meet mandy, joe, luther, serena, chablis, jim, sonny, and the list goes on and on. personally i love the movie, there is no way to ever put everything form the book into the movie. there are many conversations from the book that are placed directly into the movie which i think is pretty cool. the lady chablis thankfully plays herself in the movie, which is a blessing because there is no one that could have pulled her character off and i seriously believe that. one day i will go to savannah and experience this little world for myself, but until then i will always have this book to remind me who interesting poeple can really be.